


It's Always Sonny in San Francisco

by JackiLeigh



Series: Coast to Coast [2]
Category: Miami Vice (TV), Nash Bridges (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-07
Updated: 2020-12-27
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:55:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 9,443
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27931873
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JackiLeigh/pseuds/JackiLeigh
Summary: Part 2 of a new series I am calling Coast to Coast.  Another 'how they met' story.  I can never get enough of those.  This one includes Rico, Gina and Trudy.
Series: Coast to Coast [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2045326





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> AN: First of all, I didn’t misspell Sonny. It’s a play on words, besides being a character’s name. This is the second story. I think that I want to make this a series. I’m calling it “Coast to Coast,” since Sonny lives on one coast and Nash lives on the other. I love Don Johnson, Sonny Crockett, and Nash Bridges. So, I anticipate this series being a lot of fun to write. JL

IT’S ALWAYS SONNY IN SAN FRANCISCO

Gina Calabrese had left Miami, Florida even, to get way from Enrique Cortez. She had met Cortez shortly after she had left he vice squad, which had been only 2 short years after Sonny Crockett and Rico Tubbs had resigned. She went to White Collar for a while. But, then moved into the private sector. She made a complete career change, and opened a day care center. Gina loved children. And, while she had none of her own, she had always had a special place in her heart for them.

Gina had met Enrique through one of the single mothers in her daycare. Neither Gina or the woman had any idea of what Cortez did for a living. But, he showed his true colors pretty soon after he and Gina started dating. He had turned on the charm to woe her. She later found out that he was a loathsome, drug-dealing, controlling, possessive, SOB.

Gina had kept in touch with Sonny and Rico. She and the guys had developed a very good friendship. And she called on Sonny often. She kept him up to date on her life, and he did the same. It was sometimes over dinner, sometimes over the phone. But, they always checked in with each other.

Gina had had enough of the stalking and harassment from Enrique. She had told him it was over, weeks ago. But, he had not gotten the message. He made it very clear to her that she was not going to break up with him. He would be the one doing the breaking up, if anybody did it. 

Gina then called her sister, Maria, and they planned a trip to San Francisco.

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

“Gina, we’ve only been here a few hours. How did we manage to get our rental car stolen?” Maria asked. “How…?” She shook her head.

“No big deal, Sis.” Gina said, looking around. “We just… Look, a police station!”

Maria’s eyes followed her sister’s. “On a barge? Shouldn’t we call the rental company first?”

Gina shrugged. “Maybe it’s a California thing.” She offered. “And the rental company would tell us to go ahead and make a report.”

Maria followed Gina and they hailed a cab to take them over. It dropped them off at the ramp that lead to the barge. Both women got out and Gina paid the driver. They then headed inside, looking for someone to help them out.

They entered the station and Maria stopped in her tracks. “I thought you said that Sonny was in Florida.”

“I did.”

“Then who is that?” Maria asked, pointing. Gina had shown her sister a picture of Sonny years ago. And ever since, every time they talked, Maria asked about him.

Gina’s eyes followed her sister’s finger. She stood in amazement for a second. “Sonny?”

It was Sonny. He just had shorter hair, a lighter tan, and different clothes. Maybe he had not heard her call out to him.

“Sonny!” Gina repeated, a little louder this time.

That got the attention of a few of the people around her.

Harvey turned and looked at the woman. “Who is it that you’re looking for?”

“Him!” Gina pointed at Nash. “He’s ignoring me!” She said, irritated.

“That’s Captain Nash Bridges, head of this unit.” Harvey told her.

Gina shook her head. “That’s James Sonny Crockett. He used to…the last I heard he was down in Florida.” She could tell that Harvey didn’t quite believe her. “We worked the Vice Squad together for almost a decade, in Miami!”

People had stopped what they were doing. They were starting to stare.

“Sonny!” Gina yelled again, trying to get Nash’s attention.

Nash turned and looked at the woman who appeared to be yelling at him, using the wrong name. She and her sister were average height, slender and very pretty brunette girls with slight New York accents.

“Why were you ignoring me, Sonny?” Gina pleaded.

“Who’s Sonny?” Nash asked.

“You are!” Maria insisted. She was not mistaken, this was Sonny Crockett.

“I’m Nash Bridges.” Nash stated.

Gina shook her head. She flashed back to the time Sonny was Sonny Burnett. “Oh, no. It’s…it’s happened again. You’re lost your memory!”

Nash looked at both women, thoroughly confused. He led both women over to the table and they all sat down.

Gina could tell that Nash was not convinced. “We met working vice, Sonny. We worked vice for almost a decade together.” Gina told him, pleading for him to remember. “You quit about 5 years ago, and you and Tubbs opened up a private detective agency.” She could tell that he was still not believing her. “Rico…Ricardo Tubbs, Sonny! You’ve got to remember your partner. You’re a private eye now, Crockett and Tubbs Investigations.” She was still not getting through. She shook her head.

“I don’t know who you are looking for. I’m not Sonny!” Nash said, shaking his head.

“Here!” Gina said, opening her purse and taking out her wallet. She had pictures! She took one of her and Sonny out and handed it to Nash. “That’s us, Sonny.” She took another picture out. “This one is of me, you, and Rico.” She laid that one on the table.

Nash picked up the pictures and studied both of them. He then looked at Gina. “This is….” He shook his head. “I’ve never been to Florida. I’ve never left the state of California.”

Joe, Bryn, Harvey and Evan all looked at the pictures. They were as astounded and perplexed as Nash.

Gina and Maria looked at Nash. They were beginning to realize that this was not Sonny Crockett.

“In all the years I’ve worked with Sonny, he never told me he had a twin.” Gina said, a bit disillusioned. She thought she knew the man, very well.

Nash shook his head. “I’m not. This is not…. My parents never told me that I had a twin brother.”

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: I used the childhood from Miami Vice here. JL

Gina had told Sonny that she would call him. She hadn't. Sonny had not heard from Gina in two days. That made him nervous. He knew Enrique was still bothering her. And he knew Gina ad Maria were taking a vacation to California. He just hoped, to hell, that Enrique had not found and out decided to follow them.

As if on cue, Gina's phone rang. She fished around in her purse for it. She showed the caller ID to Nash, it read 'Sonny Crockett.'

Gina answered. She put him on speaker phone. "Hey, Sonny."

"Don't 'Hey, Sonny' me!" Sonny snapped. "I haven't heard from you…two days, Gina!"

She could tell that he was worried. "What's going on?"

"Cortez is MIA, Gina! Did…does he know about this trip?" Sonny asked. "Rico and I were watching him, until yesterday. He…he's not at any of his usual haunts."

Gina shook her head. She was terrified. "No, Sonny! I promise, only our parents, you, Rico and Trudy!"

Sonny let out a long sigh. Then he paused. "Why am I on speaker?"

"There's somebody here you need to meet." Gina replied.

The inspectors were all standing there shaking their heads. He sounded exactly like Nash.

"Who's that?" Sonny asked.

"You and Rico need to hop a plane." Gina told him. "Bring Trudy with you."

"You're not going to tell me."

"You wouldn't believe me." Gina stated.

"I hate surprises." Sonny stated. "You know that."

"Come to the Hyde Street Pier, San Francisco." Gina said. "Very easy to find."

Sonny sighed again. "See you in a few hours." Then the line went dead.

Sonny left the office. He unlocked the door that led to the stairs that went to his and Rico's apartments. Sonny lived on the second floor, above the agency, and Rico lived on the third.

Rico followed Sonny into the hallway. "What's going on, Partner?"

"Gina says I need to come to San Francisco." Sonny said. "She wouldn't tell me why, because she said I wouldn't believe it. She said you and Trudy should come along, too."

Trudy Joplin had left Vice within months of Gina leaving. She was getting too old to be believable in their undercover operations. And, in truth, a lot of the energy and the passion for the job had left after Sonny and Rico had walked away. She had been surprised she and Gina had stayed on as long as they had. Trudy decided to do something completely different with her life when she left vice. She decided to go to cooking school. So, she took the money she had saved, over the years, and went to Paris, France. While there, she attended culinary school. She did very well, even surprising herself. She came back to the states, after graduation, and accepted a job at one of the top hotels in Miami.

"What does that mean?" Rico asked, completely confused.

"Your guess is as good as mine." Sonny said, shrugging his shoulders. "But, my gut tells me that Cortez is on the move. I don't' know where. But, for his sake, he had better not have followed Gina to California."

Rico headed back into the office. "I'll call Trudy and see is she can take the time off."

Within the hour Sonny and Rico were on their way to pick up Trudy to catch a plane to San Francisco. California. It was a long drive to Miami from Tallahassee. But, it would be easier to get a flight out of Miami. And, it meant Trudy would be ready when they got there.

"You convinced, Captain.?" Maria asked. "He even SOUNDS like you."

Nash nodded. That was his voice. "Tell me about Sonny Crockett."

Gina began. "His name is James Sonny Crockett."

Nash looked at Harvey. Harvey nodded and slipped away, off to his desk to run Sonny's name through the system.

"We met working Vice in Miami. I've known him for about 15 years. He and Ricardo Tubbs, his partner in vice, left vice. They started their own private eye business about 5 years ago, Crockett and Tubbs Investigations."

Nash looked at Evan. Evan nodded and went off to check out Ricardo Tubbs.

Nash then nodded to Bryn and she went back to her desk to check out Crockett and Tubbs Investigations.

"Sonny was probably one of the best cops with the Dade County PD. He and Tubbs are responsible for putting a huge dent in the illegal trade that flowed through Florida." Gina explained.

"Why did he leave?" Nash asked.

Gina shook her head. "He said he felt like he was losing himself to the job. He practically lived undercover, always having to be Sonny Burnett. He told me once, he was beginning to forget what it was like to be Sonny Crockett." She paused. "After he lost his memory, he really stepped into that persona. He found out he really didn't like Burnett, at all." She sighed. "He changed a lot after losing his memory. It was for the better, but he was a different person."

"How did he lose his memory?" Nash asked. The other inspectors had done their research and had come back to the table, reports in hand, to listen to what Gina had to say.

"Sonny was working undercover on a yacht. He was just supposed to go fishing, just a long fishing trip, make a deal, come back to shore. No biggie. But, the yacht exploded. And Sonny was badly injured. It took him months to recover, physically. Mentally, he had no idea who he was. And, everybody onboard knew him as Sonny Burnett, so…. For 3 months afterwards, we thought he'd died in the explosion. Then one day, Tubbs saw Sonny. But, Sonny didn't recognize him." Gina sighed. "Then one day, Sonny just came back, walked right into the police station like nothing happened."

"You're leaving something out." Nash replied.

Gina nodded. "I am. I'm leaving a lot out, Captain Bridges. It's not my story to tell."

Nash nodded. He excused himself and went over to where his inspectors were standing. They all handed him their reports as they told him their findings.

"Everything Gina's said has checked out." Harvey said, producing another piece of paper. "I took the liberty of running Gina's name, too. She checked out. Gina Calabrese, born and raised in Miami. She let vice 2 years after Sonny. She now owns and operates a daycare center in Miami. She takes care of a lot of the Dade County police officer's children."

"Ricardo Tubbs left New York City shortly after his brother, Raphael, was killed." Evan stated. "He found he killer in Miami and just stayed on."

"Crockett and Tubbs Investigations is based out of Tallahassee, Florida." Bryn stated. "They have been in operation for 5 years, completely legit. And they have a huge caseload."

"I also found out…." Harvey added. "That Sonny is your age. He shares your birthday. He's an army veteran. He went to college at the University of Florida on an athletic scholarship. He played Gator's football until he shattered his knee. There had been talk of him turning pro. And, he served on Miami's Metro-Dade Police Department as a detective sergeant, with Vice for over a decade."

Bryn added. "Gina mentioned a Trudy. I found Trudy Joplin. She worked vice at the same time as Gina and Sonny. She quit about a month after Gina did. She went to culinary school in Paris. She is now a chef at the Ritz-Carlton in Miami, Florida."

Harvey looked at his watch. "How much longer do we have to wait?"

Nash just stared at him.

"You really think that I would miss meeting Nash 2.0?" Harvey asked, grinning.

"I don't know when he's going to get here, Harv. I don't even know if he's coming." Nash replied. "Gina doesn't know if he' coming."

Harvey called Nash's shoulder to Gina. "Gina, is Sonny on his way here?"

"Oh, yeah!" Gina replied.

"How do you know?" Nash asked.

"Because…as much as Sonny hates surprises, he loves a mystery. And, more importantly, I'm sure he thinks Enrique is here or is on his way here." Gina grinned. "I'm betting he's already on a plane or heading to the airport."

"Go home! All of you!" Nash said.

Nobody moved. The buzz was going around the barge, and nobody was leaving.

"There will be no overtime!" Nash warned, still nobody moved.

When Nash looked in Gina's direction, she was staring at him.

"I'm sorry." She said, shaking her head. "You just…."

Nash came back over to the table and sat down. "You checked out."

Gina nodded. "Of course."

Nash smiled. He liked this woman. "You worked Vice. Something tells me that you can handle yourself."

Gina nodded. "Sonny knows that, too. He's well aware of that. But, he likes to go big brother on me every once and a while, and I let him. It's nice to know…Sonny takes very good care of the females he in his life."

Nash nodded. He could tell that that was a loaded statement.

Gina studied Nash's face for a moment. "You're wanting to know about Sonny's life, his childhood." Gina paused. "He doesn't say much. But I don't think it was that good. He's implied alcoholism and abuse, not sure the circumstances of either. Rico, his partner, could tell you more."

"Is that what you meant by it's his story to tell?"

Gina nodded. "That, and Sonny's very selective as to who he opens up to and what he tells that person. We're good friends, and he's told me a lot. But there are still things I don't know." She paused. "I can tell you, Sonny's been married twice, first to Caroline, and then to Caitlan. And he has a 16-year-old son, Billy. He lives with his mom and step-dad in Georgia. Caitlan is deceased."

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: I have no idea who long it takes to fly from Florida to California. I'm going to guesstimate, with a layover or two, maybe 8 hours. Like I said, I have no clue. I've never flown. So, I've never made that trip. But, that is my guesstimation and I'm sticking to it. JL

Trudy buckled herself into her seat as Sonny and Rico took their seats on either side of her.

"I still don't know why I'm on a plane to California." She said as she waited for her seatmates to get settled.

"Neither do we." Rico said, finally settling down and fastening his belt.

She turned and looked at Sonny. "What have you gotten me into?"

Sonny could not help from grin. "Gina said you should be included in this. I have no idea."

"Don't mess with me, Sonny Crockett!" Trudy said, glaring at him. "Do you have ANY idea how much money I am missing out on, not working tonight?"

Sonny knew that Trudy was serious. But, he grinned, again, and shook his head. "Gina said if she told me, I wouldn't believe it."

Trudy sighed. "For Both your sakes, this had better be good."

"You're just as curious as we are, Trudy. Or, you wouldn't be on this plane." Sonny told her.

She mumbled something under her breath. Then she said. "Wake me up when he get there."

Nash chuckled. "I just realized…you never told us what you originally came here for."

Gina looked at her sister and they both laughed, realizing the same thing.

"Our rental car was stolen." Maria stated. "This was the closest police station."

"We're not too worried about the car." Gia added. "But, we had trouble finding our hotel, so all our luggage was in the trunk."

"You found me…completely by accident?" Nash stated. "Excuse me." He said when he heard his daughter called out to him.

"Daddy!" Cassidy said, approaching the table. "Grandpa wants to know when you're coming home. He's making his famous soup tonight."

Nash nodded. "That sounds really good. Tell him I'll be late."

"How late?" Cassidy asked. "What's going on?" She saw Gina and Maria sitting at the table. But, she could tell that they were not being held. They were not suspects, her dad and the other officers were not treating them like suspects.

Nash pulled his daughter away from the table. "Just tell Nick that I will be late."

Gina and Maria could not help but eavesdrop. They were sitting very close to where Nash and Cassidy were standing, talking.

Most of the officers and staff had left the barge by 7 p.m. As much as they had wanted to stay and meet Sonny, family and social obligations had them committed. And they had to leave. They knew, however, that the barge would be alive with gossip in the morning.

The hours Nash had waited for Sonny to arrive seemed like forever. And, he kept going back to his dad. What had happened? How could Nick NOT have known about twins? Why had he never been told he had a twin brother? He just could not wrap his mind around it.

Gina and Maria could have left the SIU. But, Gina figured that she was much safer there, surrounded by cops. Besides, she liked Nash. He seemed like he was a good cop. He had risen to the rank of captain. He had to be good at his job. And it was obvious that he had the respect of everyone there.

When Cassidy left, Nash came back over and sat down.

"That was your daughter?" Gina asked.

Nash nodded.

"She's beautiful." Maria stated and Gina agreed.

"Thank you." Nash replied.

"She said Grandpa. Is your father alive?" Gina asked.

"He is."

"How did he not know that he had twins?" Maria asked.

Nash shook his head. He was as clues as she was.

"This is it!" Sonny said as the cabbie came to a stop. "Pay the man, Rico." He said as he got out and then helped Trudy out. Tubbs rolled his eyes as he hand the money over. Then he got out.

"Take it out of petty cash when we got back." Sonny said, not missing the eye roll.

Nobody spoke as they headed up the stairs. The place seemed pretty deserted, just a skeleton crew.

An office, who looked like a young Elvis, spotted them. He stared at Sonny, for a moment, before he found his voice. "Nash!"

Gina jumped up. "Let me talk to him first, Nash. This is…you've had a little time to process this. Sonny has no idea what he's walking into here."

Nash nodded. Just as Evan went back to his desk. He, Joe, Harvey and Bryne were all pretending to be busy as they kept an eye on what was happening.

Sonny stopped as soon as he saw Gina. She went to him and hugged him, tightly. Sonny hugged her back. "What was that all about?"

When Gina stepped back, there were tears in her eyes.

"What…what's wrong?" Sonny asked, seeing her tears.

Gina shook her head, but she was smiling. "There's somebody you need to meet." She took him by the hand.

"You told me that over the phone. What…?" Sonny stopped mid-sentence when he saw Nash.

Those remaining on the barge began to gather at the interrogation table to witness the event.

"I told you, you wouldn't believe me." Gina told Sonny, as he continued to stare.

Nash grinned as he came over to Sonny and stuck out his hand. "Nash Bridges.

"Sonny Crockett." Sonny said, letting go of Gina's hand and taking Nash's.

Sonny was a couple in inches shorter than Nash. But, his hair was longer, by about 2 inches, and bleached. Nash was sure, by the Florida sun. And, his tan was darker. But, other than that….

"I have a twin brother." Sonny said, still trying to wrap his mind around the whole thing. "Gina's right. I'm looking at you, and I don't believe it."

Nash motioned Sonny over to the table, and they sat down. Introductions were made all around.

Neither Nash nor Sonny said anything for a moment.

Nash started off. "Dad never told me I had a twin brother."

Sonny cleared his throat before he spoke. "I've always known I was adopted. I never looked for my adopted parents. They…I saw no reason to try to contact people who didn't want me in the first place."

Rico, Gina, and Trudy were all shocked. They had no idea that Sonny was adopted.

That bit of information tore at Nash's heart. "Our dad, Nick…he…he would have wanted you! Something happened when we were born, it had to have! Virginia, my…our mom, there's no way…she would not have given you up!" He told Sonny. "Mom loved kids. She died when I was 10 years old. She had cancer. But," He explained. "she loved kids. There's no way…!"

Sonny lowered his head as tears came into his eyes. This level of emotion surprised him. But, he guessed he had really needed to hear that. He had really needed to know that he was wanted and that me was loved, even after all this time.

Trudy moved her chair close to Sonny. Gina did the same. Gina grabbed his hand. Trudy slipped her arm around his waist.

"I need a minute." Sonny said. Gina let go of his hand. He then stood and headed out of the building to the deck that surrounded the barge.

Trudy waited about 5 minutes before she walked out onto the deck.

Sonny shook his head as Trudy came up beside him.

"You never told me, Sonny." Trudy said, slipping her arm around his waist.

"I stopped telling people when I became a teenager." Sonny said, only glancing at her. Then turning his eyes back to the water. "I always got these, strange looks when I told people. Like something was wrong with me, or my parents would have wanted me. I just got tired of the looks." He huffed out a breath. "And with everything else I was dealing with at home. I was just trying to survive."

"I'm sorry, Sonny." Trudy said, resting her head on his shoulder.

Sonny shook his head. "Things were great until I turned 10. That's when…Joe lost his job. He had a work-related injury with lead to addiction to pain killers, which lead to depression, which lead to alcohol. In one of his…sarcastic, spiteful, hateful moments he decided to tell me about how I came to be his 'son.' He never remembered a thing afterwards. Not saying stuff like that, not beating my mom, nothing. He just passed out on the couch like nothing happened."

"I wouldn't' have bragged on that childhood either." Trudy said.

Gina and Rico joined them, out on the deck.

"You okay, Partner?" Tubbs asked.

Sonny nodded. He headed back inside and the rest followed. Sonny went over to the table and started to sit back down.

"Don't sit! We're going to see Nick." Nash said, making up his mind. "We both need some answers!"

Sonny looked back at Tubbs. He was a little uncertain.

Tubbs smiled. "We would love to meet your dad. But, you two need to talk first. We'll wait."

Gina and Trudy nodded, in agreement.

Trudy gave Sonny a quick hug. "I take back my threat. I'm glad to be able to witness this. I will thank Gina for that." She paused. "I'm very happy for you."

Gina hugged Sonny. "Me, too."

Tubbs put his hand on Sonny's shoulder. "This is a good thing, Sonny. We all deserve to know where we came from."

Sonny nodded. Then he and Nash left the barge.

TBC


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Sonny stopped and stared when he saw which car Nash was getting in.

"Wow!" Sonny said, once he finally got going again. "It's a Cuda."

Nash nodded. "A 71 Cuda."

Sonny got in and closed the door. "How did you manage…?"

"My…our big brother, Bobby. He…." Nash shook his head. "He went into the military. He…he never came back home. He gave me the car before he left."

Nash and Sonny rode in silence for a few minutes. Sonny was very sad to hear he had an older brother he would never get to meet.

"How old was Bobby when….?" Sonny asked.

"He was 21. I was 17. And Stacey was 15. She…."

"Who's Stacey?" Sonny asked.

"Our sister. She's the assistant DA for San Francisco."

Sonny didn't say anything for a few minutes. It was a lot to take in.

"I have one brother. He was 5 years older. And he left home as soon as he could." Sonny replied. "Jake went to stay with our grandparents. I…I couldn't' leave. Dad was…he was a mean drunk. I couldn't leave Mom alone with him. I was too young and too little to do anything. But…." Sonny shook his head at the memory.

It broke Nash's heart to hear that Sonny's childhood was just as bad as Gina thought it had been. Maybe even worse. He shook his head. "Our parents would never have wanted that for you."

"It was…wasn't bad at first. Up until the age of 10, things were great. Then…dad, Joe lost his job. He had an accident at work, permanent disability. That lead to addition to addiction to pain killers. That lead to depression. And, his depression lead to alcoholism."

"That's not the childhood you should have had." Nash said, he was angry. But, not with Sonny.

Sonny shook his head. "And besides that, I got teased, mercilessly, for being adopted. I was the only adopted kid around where I lived. People treated me like I was defective, something was wrong with me because of it. I just stopped talking about it. I stopped telling people about it. And the older I got, the less of a big deal it seemed to be."

"I'm glad. But, it's still horrible." Nash sighed.

"Would you have taken up for me?" Sonny asked, just to see what Nash would say.

"I would have kicked ALL their asses." Nash replied.

Sonny laughed, heartedly. Then, they both fell into a comfortable silence.

"It…I could tell that you were in charge back there." Sonny stated. "Am I right?"

Nash nodded, never taking his eyes off the road. "The barge is our SIU. My title is Inspector Nash Bridges. I went to SIU straight out of the academy. Joe is my partner. And Evan, Harvey, and Bryn work for me."

"I'm sure Gina told you about me."

Nash nodded. "She did. She thought for a moment that you had lost your memory when she first saw me."

Sonny sighed. "That was…not a good time. I'd just lost Caitlan. We'd only been married a few months. Then to lose her like that." He shook his head. "I fell in love with a protected witness. She was a singer, traveled the world. I met up with her in New York. I watched the show from backstage. She was killed as she came off the stage. She was…she was walking towards me. She was shot in the back, I held her as she died. her die."

"I'm so sorry. I can't imagine…." Nash shook his head. "I see, now, why Gina said it was not her story to tell. She just told us that Caitlan had died."

Sonny let out a shuttered breath. "She was my second wife. I have a son, Billy, with my first wife, Caroline. They live in Georgia."

Nash grinned. "I have a nephew." He looked at Sonny. "You have a niece." He chuckled and shook his head. "I've been married twice, too. Lisa is my first wife, that's Cassidy's mother. Kelly was my second. She's from England."

Sonny managed a grin. "Caitlan was Irish." He paused. "I fell in love with the accent first.

Nash nodded, never taking his eyes off the road. "Me, too."

They drove in silence for a moment.

"I've gotta warn you…." Nash was saying.

Sonny looked at him.

"Where I live is…kinda a mess." Nash stated. "I rent an abandoned, condemned building."

Sonny just shook his head and grinned.

Nash looked at him. "The rent is cheap and it's quiet."

Sonny put up his hand and chuckled. "I lived, for over a decade, on a boat with an alligator. There is nothing I can say to that."

Nash laughed, heartedly. "An alligator?"

"Elvis was the University to Florida's mascot. He tried to take a bit out of a tight-end. So, the school decided he was too dangerous. They were going to release him into the Everglades. But, he was too used to people to be out there. So, he lived with me on my boat. He was my watch-gator."

Nash stole a sideways glance at Sonny. "Most people have a watchdog. You had a watch-gator…named Elvis."

"Nobody ventured onto my boat, much less stole anything." Sonny replied.

Nash chuckled. Then he got serious. "There is something that you need to know before you meet Nick. He's…he's losing his memory. Most days, he's find. But, other days, like last week, he told me he had invited Bobby over for supper." Nash shook his head. "It's just…it's hard to know how he is going to handle this. Could you just let me talk to him first? Then I'll come get you? Cassidy is there, too. I need to talk to her, too. She was on the barge when Gina and Maria were there. But, she has no idea what's going on."

TBC


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Nash didn't want Cassidy to see Sonny yet, so he asked Sonny to wait downstairs and he would come and get him when it was time. Nash then headed up in the elevator to see his father and daughter.

"Cassidy!" Nash said, giving his daughter a kiss on the cheek. "How are you doing, Nick?" He asked, coming up beside his father, who was still attending to the soup.

"Smells good, tastes better. And I kept it hot since Cassidy said you would be late." Nick replied as he started to grab a bowl.

Nash shook his head. "Wait a bit on that, won't you, Nick? I have a question to ask you. It's an odd question. But, I have to ask it." He paused. "Do I have a twin brother?"

Cassidy stared at her father for a second completely astounded. She had no clue what was going on. "Dad?!"

Nick went over to the couch. Nash and Cassidy followed. They all sat down.

Nick sighed. "You HAD a twin brother, Nash. He died when he was 10 days old." He paused. "He was beautiful. He was perfect. But, he was so tiny. You were…you was huge compared to him. They took him to the ICU almost immediately. They only let us hold him for a few minutes right after he was born." Nick shook his head. "Virginia had to spend 7 days in the hospital. That was common back then, especially for a woman with twins. You were the only twins in the hospital, at the time. All the staff and a lot of the other patients came to see you. We had you in Virginia's room whenever we could. That was most of the time with you. But with Jamie, that's what we named him, James Allen Bridges, he only got to come out of ICU at certain times. And he couldn't be out long. We got him as often as we could while your mom was still a patient. When she was discharged, you got to come home, too. But…but Jamie had to stay behind. We visited everyday…." Nick wiped his eyes. "But, on that that10th day. We…we went into his room and the bed was empty. They told us Jamie had passed during the night. We were heartbroken. He had been doing so well. He seemed to be getting better, stronger. It was so…we didn't even ask to see him…afterwards. It would have just been…."

Nash had not expected this. He was completely taken aback. "What happened to the baby?"

Nick shook his head. "We couldn't…there was no way we could have had a burial service. Virginia couldn't have…." He bowed his head. "There was no way we could have watched them bury his casket. We just had a memorial service. The hospital took care of the rest."

Everybody was quiet for a moment. Then Nick asked. "How did you even find out about Jamie?"

Nash smiled. "Your baby didn't die, Nick."

Nobody said anything for a moment. They all needed to digest what was happening. Nick looked at Nash, there were tears in his eyes.

Cassidy just looked at Nash. She didn't know what to say.

"He's here! His name is Sonny, Sonny Crockett. He's…he lives in Florida." Nash told him. He felt himself tearing up also. "He's downstairs…Right now! He's waiting on me to go and get him."

Cassidy and Nick both stared at Nash.

"I'll be right back." Nash said as he went up the stairs and to the elevator.

Nash returned with Sonny just a few moments later.

Cassidy and Nick stood up and just stared. Sonny was a bit tanner and his hair had blond highlights. But there was no mistaking it. This was Nash's twin brother.

Sonny smiled. "You must be Cassidy."

Cassidy nodded and smiled back. They even sounded alike.

Sonny started to extend his hand. But, Cassidy engulfed him in a huge hug.

"Hi. Uncle Sonny." Cassidy said, stepping back.

"Nice to meet you, too, Cassidy."

Nick was next. And he had Sonny in a bear hug before Sonny could even react. "Hi, Dad."

"Hello, Son." Nick said, through tears.

Nick stepped back to look at Sonny. He shook his head. "They told us, all those years ago, that' you'd passed away." He paused and wiped his eyes as he sat down, again, on the couch.

Sonny was astounded. He had wondered about his biological parents over the years. But, this scenario never entered his mind.

Nash sat down in a chair and Cassidy sat down beside Sonny.

Nick continued. "You and Nash were pretty babies, so pretty, so perfect. But, you were a lot smaller than Nash." Nick said, repeating his story. He shook his head, again. "We had a memorial service. And we just…we carried on. We were grateful to have Nash, and our older son, Bobby. Then pretty soon after that, your sister, Stacey came along…."

Sonny had tears in his eyes. He cleared his throat. "I always knew I was adopted. I looked nothing like my parents, or my brother. I never looked for you." He shook his head. "I didn't think you wanted me. Why else would you have given me up?" He wiped his eyes. At least he knew that that was not the case.

"We would have never given you up, no matter what." Nick said. "We didn't give you up. We were young and having twins would have been difficult. But, we would have handled it." He took Sonny's hand and squeezed it. "Virginia, your mother, loved children. She wanted to have lots of kids."

Cassidy took Sonny's other hand and squeezed it. His story broke her heart.

Sonny looked at her and smiled. He squeezed her hand.

"You were wanted and you were loved." Nick replied. "We had not been expecting twins though. And back then, it was much harder to detect multiple births. They told us one time it was twins. Then they told us, on another visit, that it wasn't. But, we were thrilled to have two boys."

Nash sighed. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Nick shook his head. "We didn't tell anybody, Nash. We…we were heartbroken. We were glad we still had you and Bobby. And your mother, well, she never got over it. I don't think that she ever stopped mourning. I think that's why the cancer…." He shook his head.

"What happened to me?" Sonny asked.

"We never asked to see you…afterwards. We couldn't…Nick shook his head again. "We couldn't' stand to watch a tiny casket lowered into the ground. We asked the hospital to…take care of things." He paused. "I should have asked. I should have…."

Sonny put his hand on Nick's arm. "I'm not angry. You thought you'd lost your son. I would probably have reacted the same way, if I'd lost my boy."

"You have children?" Nick asked.

Sonny nodded. "A son, Billy, he's 16." HE reached into the back pocket of his jeans and removed his wallet. He took out a picture of him in jeans, leather jacket and a t-shirt. He was with a cute little blond boy. This is my favorite picture of us."

Nick grinned. "I have a grandson!"

TBC


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Sonny nodded. "You do. He looked just like me at that age…." He smiled. "…windows shades and everything." He said, indicating his eyes. The flaps of skin at the corners.

"When Cassidy was born," Nick recalled. "They put a name band on her leg. They didn't do that when you and Sonny were born. The only way to identify a baby was by the name on the bassinet he was in. And it was only labeled with the parent's last name. It was…they didn't even label you two as twins. They just…they would put you in the same bassinet when they brought you to the rooms. But they always took you back first, Sonny, before they took Nash."

Sonny looked at Nick. "They put me in the wrong bassinet?" He shook his head. "Is that even possible?"

"Twins are rare. And you two were the only ones in the hospital, at that time. Everybody came to see you. And, any of those people could have…." Nick said.

Nash theorized out loud. "The nurses were used to seeing me in there by myself. You were in the ICU…." He told Sonny. "They saw an empty bassinet and put you in."

"So, I became the Crockett's baby." Sonny said. "But then, what happened to the other baby? And why did…? There had to have been an empty bed in the ICU."

"Not if some nurse made a mistake and switched you two." Nash stated.

Sonny shook his head. "There still would have been two babies. Me and whoever that other kid was."

"Not if that kid suddenly died." Nash said.

"So, the nurse thought that was me. Okay, but I was still sick. How did I manage outside the ICU?" Sonny asked.

"The nurse realized what she'd done and covered her ass." Nash replied.

Sonny nodded. "She would have certainly lost her job. And…." He looked at them, wide-eyed. "My mom, Rita Crockett, was a nurse. She's retired now. She and my dad, Joe, lived in California for a little while before moving to Florida."

"You mean they left California to avoid…." Nash began cautiously. He didn't want to speak ill of Sonny's parents.

Sonny sighed, letting the reality slowly sink in. "They started over in Florida. Who is going to question a young couple with a newborn?" He looked at his brother. And shook his head. "That's…."

"…completely plausible." Nash stated.

"Probable…" Sonny said. "Rita Crockett was a pediatric nurse. Joe was transferred to Miami shortly after I was born, at his request. They talked about our trip to Florida. They ended up driving because they didn't know if they could safely take a newborn on a plane." Sonny informed them. "And since she was a pediatric nurse, she would have known how to take care of a sick baby."

Cassidy was astounded at what she was hearing. How does a hospital misplace a baby? Those things were things that people talked about on those tabloid shows. That didn't happen in real life. And, certainly, not to anybody she knew. She shook her head as she tried to process the information she had heard.

"They stole you, Sonny! They stole you!" Cassidy said.

"She's right!" Nick replied, looking at his son.

Nash nodded.

Sonny shook his head. "That's…!" He wasn't sure how to feel. He had been lied to his entire life. He had never been adopted, he had been taken.

Sonny got up off the couch. He went over to the window, noticing the amazing view for the first time. He had not really paid attention when he first got there. Now, he marveled at the beauty.

Nash came up beside Sonny at his kitchen counter. He didn't say anything for a few minutes.

Sonny shook his head. "My entire childhood was a lie. I can't…." He said, staring out at the bay. He sighed. "And the legality of it all. There is a statute of limitations on that stuff. But, I have no idea what it is."

"Me, either." Nash admitted. "Add in the felony, and who knows."

Sonny sighed. "Yeah, forgot about the felony part. That just complicates things even more."

"What do you want to do, Sonny?" Nash asked, looking at his brother.

Sonny didn't say anything for a moment or two. "Dad…Joe's got Dementia, brought on by the alcoholism. Not the doctor's diagnosis, mine. Mom…Rita fell and broke her hip a few years ago. She never quite recovered. And now she's has high blood pressure and is a diabetic." He paused. "I don't' know if they would survive a trial, if it came to that. Much less do actual time." He paused. "I can't do that to them. Things…things were good till I turned 10, then Dad lost his job. He went on disability, became depressed and then started drinking."

Nash didn't say anything, thinking back to what Gina had told him. He just followed Sonny back to the couch and they both sat back down.

Nick and Cassidy expressed their sympathy for that he had gone through.

"But, I just…what did they tell people about me? I couldn't have just suddenly appeared and people not ask questions." Sonny put his head in his hands. "What did they tell their brothers and sisters? What did they tell their parents? What did they tell Jake?"

Nash sighed. "Chances are they didn't say anything to anybody, Sonny."

Sonny just looked at his brother.

"I'm guessing none of the family lived, here, in California. It was definitely far enough away that relatives couldn't just pop in on them. And they…that way nobody would see that Rita had not been pregnant." Nash explained. "And, they could always tell people that Joe was transferred by his company. No one would question that. It happens all the time."

Sonny nodded. "It fits." He sighed. "Plus, I wasn't to find out the truth. Since they decided not to tell me." He paused, realizing something. "How did Gina

find you anyway?"

Nash laughed. "It was a complete accident. She said her rental car got stolen. She was looking for a police station. The SIU was the closest."

Sonny looked at Nash, shook his head and chuckled. "Unbelievable."

"She saw me, started calling out your name. She was wondering why I/you was ignoring her."

"This had been one hell of a day, Nash Bridges." Sonny said, scrubbing his hand over his face.

"For me, too, Sonny Crockett."

"It's a lot to take in." Sonny admitted. "I need to talk to my friends. My…other family." He sighed. "I need to have a long, uncomfortable talk with my….Joe and Rita."

Sonny looked at Nick. "I can understand you being angry at my…the Crocketts. But, they…they did the best that they could. The alcoholism and all it precipitated, nobody could have predicted any of that would happen. I wished it hadn't happened, of course. But, they didn't take me with any of that in mind."

Nick nodded. He understood. "I've mourned you, for years, Sonny. And I understand what you're saying. But, if you've never lost a child…. I've thought about you, all the time. Every year on your birthday, I wondered what you would have been doing? Through the years, I've wondered, would you have gone to college? Would you have married? Would you have had children?" He paused, wiped away tears. "I mourned the young life never lived. I mourned all those moments, those milestones that I missed out on."

Sonny stood and hugged Nick as tears came to his eyes. "I'm sorry."

Nick stepped back and looked at his son. "You have nothing to be sorry for, Son. You're here! I have my boy back!"

Sonny wiped his eyes and smiled. "I did go to college, University of Florida on an athletic scholarship, busted my knee in a football game. I applied for the police department after my 4 years in the army. I went into the army right out of high school. A way to get away from the all drama at home. Then I applied for college. Thanks to the G.I. Bill, I got a full ride. Then I got a job with the Dade County, Florida police department. I worked my way up to the Vice squad. Then after 10 years in vice, I left, and my partner and I now run a private detective agency out of Tallahassee. I have been married, twice. I have a 16-year-old son, Billy, with my first wife, Caroline. My second wife, Caitlan…she passed away about 7 years ago."

Nick shook his head. "I'm sorry about Caitlan."

"What…what happened…if you don't mind…?" Nash inquired. He

"Caitlan was…she was under my protection." Sonny started. "She was singing in a club and saw a drug deal go down. She could identify all the players." He shook his head. "She was under for a few months, safe house and everything. I was with her the whole time. We fell in love." He paused. "She had a contract for a multiple country tour. She was playing concerts all over the world. It was the end of her U.S. tour and I met her in New York City. The concert was over and she stepped off stage. She…she was shot in the back." He paused. "She died in my arms."

Nobody knew what to say for a few moments.

"Sonny, I'm sorry. That..." Cassidy said, taking his hand and squeezed it.

"Thank you." Sonny said. "She was…she was a wonderful woman. We weren't married long. But, we were very happy together."

Nick's heart broke for his son. He had lost his wife at a young ago, too. He thought that that made things so hard. He would have loved to grow old with Virginia.

"I have a grandson?" He was thrilled to hear the news.

Sonny pulled out the picture of Billy he had shown Nash earlier.

TBC


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Rico, Gina, Trudy and Maria stayed behind at the barge to wait for Sonny. Harvey, Evan and Bryn went to work on finding Enrique. They put out a BOLO and it wasn’t’ long before he was spotted and brought into the SIU.

Nash answered his phone on the first ring.

“He’s here.” Was all Bryn said.

Nash hung up the phone. “Enrique is at the SIU.”

Sonny nodded, turned and started to the stairs.

“You’re leaving?” Cassidy asked.

Sonny looked at his niece. “Not California. I’m just going back to the SIU.”

“You’re going to come back here, right?” Cassidy asked.

Sonny shook his head. “I don’t know, Cassidy. This is…I’ve got a lot to think about.”

Cassidy hugged him. “You’ve got to stay.”

Sonny grinned and hugged her back. He didn’t know what to say.

“I’ve got my friends back at the barge. I…I need to go back and talk to them.” Sonny told her.

“The two pretty dark-haired ladies?” Cassidy asked, remembered the women from her visit earlier in the day. “Wait! Did they see Dad and think that he was you?”

Sonny nodded. “Pretty much.”

“What happened?” Nick asked.

“My friend, Gina, I called her. She was supposed to call me….” Sonny shook his head. “It’s a long story, suffice to say an old boyfriend wouldn’t leave her alone. Anyway, I called her…she said that there was somebody here I needed to meet. But, she wouldn’t tell me anything else.” Sonny paused. “A few hours later, I showed up and….”

“You came all the way from Florida?” Nick asked, surprised.

Sonny nodded. “I’ve known Gina for a long time. I trust her judgement. So, I got on a plane.”

“You met by accident?” Nick shook his head. “That’s…!”

“You can’t leave your family.” Cassidy said. “You just found us. Or, we just found you…whatever! But...!”

“Cassidy, that’ not…I’m not going anywhere.” Sonny said, pulling her into a hug. “I’ll have to go back to home sometime. But, it won’t be today.”

That seemed to reassure Cassidy and she broke the hug. She wiped her eyes. “Can you stay and eat with us before you leave?”

Sonny looked at Nash and Nick. They both nodded.

Sonny nodded.

Cassidy grinned and jumped into action. “Grandpa makes the best soup and grilled cheese.” She said as she filled a bowl with soup and pulled a grilled cheese sandwich out of the warm oven. She put both on a large plate and sat it on the table. She added crackers and a spoon. She fixed her father’s and grandfather’s plates and put them on the table also. Then she fixed her own plate and sat down.

Sonny looked up to see the three of them just staring at him.

Cassidy reached across the table and touched Sonny’s arm. “It’s just…it’s gonna take some getting used to.”

Sonny nodded and chuckled. “For the both of us.”

“Can you come back to the barge with us?” Sonny asked both Cassidy and Nick. “I want to introduce you to my friends…my family. They…we’ve gotten very close.”

Cassidy nodded. “I call Daddy’s partner, Uncle Joe.”

Sonny nodded. “I would love for them to meet you.”

Cassidy looked at her dad, so did Nick. Nash nodded. 

“As soon as we finish eating, we’ll head back.” Nash stated.

“Enrique deserves to sit and stew for a while.” Sonny said as he sat down to eat. “Wait, maybe tomorrow would be better. I…we can…I don’t know how things are going to go with….” Sonny said to his brother.

Nash nodded. “Yeah, tomorrow would be better.” He explained to Nick and Cassidy. “We don’t know how this interrogation is going to go.”

They both nodded. Nick and Cassidy both knew that suspects were unpredictable and that things could get dangerous very quickly.

@@@@@@

Evan and Harvey brought Enrique Cortez to the barge. They sat him down at the interrogation table.

“What? Enrique asked. “Why am I here? All I did was come to California on vacation. When did that become illegal?”

Nobody would answer his question. And he had not seen Gina. He honestly didn’t know why he had been picked up by the police.

“Stalking is a crime, Cortez.” Bryn replied.

“Who am I stalking?” Cortez asked, very smug.

Nobody spoke, until Gina came over to the table and sat down.

“I told you it was over.” Gina said.

“Nobody breaks up with me!” Enrique hissed. “I am the one who….”

“You followed me from Florida!” Gina replied.

“You owe me an explanation. Enrique said. 

“You’re controlling and possessive.” Gina said. “And I’m nobody’s property.”

Enrique stood up and started around the table.

Harvey stepped in between Gina and Enrique just as Sonny showed up.

“I warned you, Cortez!!” Sonny said as he neared the table. 

Enrique was surprised to see Sonny. But, he got over his surprise quickly. “I came to California on vacation.” He snapped back as he sat down. “The last I heard that is not illegal.” 

“But, stalking is!” Sonny said. “And California has the strictest stalking laws in the United States. Serious fines, jail time.” Sonny said as he put both palms on the table and leaned closer to Enrique.

Enrique pulled back in his chair. “No…woman is going to tell me….”

“Her name is Gina.” Sonny growled back at him. “Gina! And she’s not a piece of property! She is a human being!”

“Nobody leaves me.” Enrique shot back.

Enrique Cortez, you are a steaming sack of shit!” Sonny said leaning in closer to him. “You reek! I’m surprised she stayed with you as long as she did.”

“You can’t…!” Enrique said, standing up again. “You can’t do anything to me. You’re not a cop anymore.” He said, smugly.

The SIU were standing, observing, enjoying the show. Ready to jump in, if needed.

Sonny grinned. But, it was not a happy grin. “Which means…if I come over this table and choked you out. The worst thing that will happen to me is an assault and battery charge.”

Enrique stared at him for a moment.

“It’d be well worth it.” Sonny stated.

“I’ll sue you! I’ll sue this place. I’ll…!” Enrique started.

“I’ve read your criminal record.” Sonny reminded him. “They would laugh you out of the court room.” He paused. “But, good luck with that.” He said, straightening back up.

“You can’t….” Enrique said.

“You have NO idea what I can and cannot do!” Sonny told him. “I still have lots of connections with Vice. A word from me and the vice squad will be watching you so closely, they will know how you fix your eggs in the morning.”

Cortez sank back into his chair. He had dealt with vice before. It had not been a pleasant experience.

“So, this is how things are going to go.” Sonny told Enrique. “You are going to hop a plane to Florida…today! You’re going to stop coming to the day care. You’re going to stop calling Gina. You are going to stop following Gina. You are going to stop harassing her customers. Because, if you don’t, Rico and I will come back to Miami. And, you are going to be our one and ONLY case the whole time we’re there.” Sonny threatened. “I could stay for a day, a week, or maybe even a month, Cortez. I will dig into your life, Enrique. And you know how good I am at that. I’ll find out things about you that you don’t even know.” Sonny paused. “And I have a feeling, just a feeling. That there may be a few things that you wouldn’t want me to know.”

Enrique looked sufficiently scared.

Sonny nodded and leaned in close again. “Just as I thought. And just so you know…” his voice took on an edge again. “…we’ve have two ‘come-to-Jesus’ meetings. There won’t be a third!”

“You can’t threaten…!”

Sonny stood up. “I don’t threaten. I make promises.” He explained. “And, I don’t break my promises.

TBC


End file.
